The 12 O'Clock Boys
Director: Lotfy Nathan
Rating: 4/5
Lotfy Nathan makes his feature film directorial debut with his new documentary as he returns to Balitmore to tackle a subject that fascinated him while he was a student in the city.
The 12 O'Clock Boys are a notorious dirt-bike gang that race through the streets of the city causing creating chaos and causing danger where ever they do.
Pug is a thirteen year old boy living on a dangerous Westside block, and he has just one goal in mind; to join the 12 O'Clock Boys.
The movie follows Pug and the 12 O'Clock Boys over a three year period and gives you an insight into this lifestyle.
12 O'Clock Boys is one of those documentaries that you just cannot take your eyes off as Nathan takes you deeper and deeper into this world.
We see the poverty and the struggles facing the people living in Baltimore and the 12 O'Clock Boys is an escape from this difficult reality.
Pug is the heart and soul of this movie as he is tempted by the allure, the stature and the glamour of being a 12 O'Clock Boy.
Pug is the most intriguing character in this film as while there is a vulnerability to him there is also a hard edge - even at such a young age.
While he does have aspirations to be a vet in his future he lives from the here and now; and the world of the dirk-bike riders is much closer to him than college.
Nathan doesn't shy away from the dangers of this lifestyle and yet this is not a movie that glamorises this way of life either.
The director just shows this as a way of life for these young men and this movie doesn't judge or have an opinion for or against what they do.
12 O'Clock Boys is a movie that grabs your attention and holds it from start to finish, as you never know what is around the corner.
The startling thing about this film is the riders' acceptance that they can die at any moment - an idea that is being passed down to the younger generations.
This is a fast paced movie that never really stops to let you catch your breath as Nathan captures the thrill of the ride.
Nathan has delivered a movie that never gives an opinion and he doesn't tie it all up nicely at the end; leaving audiences to make up their own minds and ask their own questions.
You wouldn't know that Lotfy Nathan was a first time filmmaker and he is definitely a director to keep an eye on.
Open City Docs Fest runs 20-23 June in central London, please visit www.opencitydocsfest.com for the full programme.